Backwards Tabletop is announcing the upcoming release of Rust Never Sleeps by Asa Donald. Rust Never Sleeps is a grunge solo ttrpg about doomed mecha pilots fighting a hopeless war against an authoritarian. ​

​Claim your free copy​ of the Beta edition now, and you will get it for free on its release.

Rust Never Sleeps

Rust Never Sleeps is a grunge solo ttrpg in which you play as a doomed mech pilot in the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest. It explores “burning out” through the stories of doomed mech pilots and the discourse inspired by the Godfather of Grunge’s album Rust Never Sleeps.

The Beta edition will be released on 5/01/25. Claim it for free before its release!

Contributors: Asa Donald. Artists: Mac Teg, HodagRPG; Forthcoming cover art by Alex Connolly.

Rust Never Sleeps on itch.io

What is Rust Never Sleeps?

In Rust Never Sleeps, you play as a grunge mech pilot, and your mech’s battery pack is represented by a deck of cards. Go on missions and follow journal prompts, while using blackjack mechanics to pilot your machine and punching the big red button for a boost. But don’t bust! You'll burn through energy, and your rustbucket explodes when your battery runs out! Complete your missions before you run out of cards.

If you survive long enough to upgrade your rustbucket, you can gain special abilities. Color in the upgrades on your character sheet, connect parts to your battery, and light up bulbs in your cockpit.

Claim your free copy at bit.ly/RNS-itch for a limited time.

What do you need to play?

This tabletop roleplaying game is played with a standard deck of cards, a printed character sheet, coloring utensils, and a music playlist.

• THE DECK OF CARDS IS YOUR BATTERY PACK. Every time you use your mech, you expend energy and take one step closer to burning out. Don’t run out of cards!
• PUSH YOUR MECH TO THE LIMITS.PUNCH the big red button on your schematic sheet for a boost and an extra card. But don’t “bust” or you will burn through energy.
• JAM OUT TO YOUR MIXTAPE. Your mech came with an ancient mixtape. It seems to have a mind of its own, playing thematically relevant songs at just the right moment.
• UPGRADE YOUR MECH WITH LOOT.Collect loot to upgrade your mech’s equipment. Connect the parts on your schematic sheet and color in your mech for each upgrade.
• GROW WEARY WITH EXPERIENCE.Every mission bestows experience and skill. It also wears you down. Remove a card of your choice from your battery pack after every mission.

What kind of TTRPG is this?

Rust Never Sleeps is a Comprehensive solo rpg with Mission Modules and Journaling. In other words, Rust Never Sleeps…

• offers lite yet complete mechanics for gameplay and character creation
• provides pre-written missions as well as mission generators for your pilot to enter and 
• invites the player to journal in their pilot’s log during their missions.

It also promises…

• Scaffolded Journaling. You get to tell the story, but you aren’t inventing it from scratch. We provide the plot, and you build out the drama.
• No number crunching or rule reviewing. No adding or subtracting of modifiers, no tracking damage or ammunition. You’re just drawing cards and trying not to burn out.
• Tactical storytelling with no grid. No HP, no armor. All you have are equipment and skills. Get creative with them to overcome obstacles.

What’s it like to play?

In Rust Never Sleeps, you progress through journal prompts as a doomed mech pilot. You use your pilot’s skills or your mech’s equipment to complete tasks, overcome obstacles, and complete challenges for your mission. 

You get to decide which skill checks or equipment checks to make, and you can make any type of check, so long as it is narratively congruent with the plot.

But every check that you make uses up your cards and draws on your battery pack. You must complete your mission before the deck runs out.

The Story

THE WORLD HAS MOVED ON...
A catastrophic event known as The End wiped out the world and most major cities in the United States. The southeastern region of Washington state was turned into arid wasteland after a series of explosions at one of the WPPSS nuclear power plants. The area is still recovering.

AN AUTHORITARIAN IS IN POWER...
After a century of conflict and infighting, a demagogue named Colin Martin-Guy rose to prominence, promising an escape from the disfigured northwest by terraforming Mars. He became the first unified leader of the Washington Territories. As The Commander, he instituted a birth tax, established draconian censorship measures, and outlawed minimum wage. Then, he canceled the election. He canceled the next one too.

YOU’RE IN THE RESISTANCE...
Everyone says that he has amassed too much power to be stopped. Some have risen against him anyway, and you have joined them. You dedicated the last several months of your life to training at a secret base in the southeastern wasteland of Washington. You’re going to pilot a rustbucket for the rebel cause.

YOU HAVE A RUSTBUCKET...
The rebels have stolen a small quantity of Old World mechs from the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Only the oldest models would do: Rustbuckets, which are primitive enough to be repaired with the modern technologies available to you.

YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE...
The rebels’ rustbuckets prolong the fight. In truth, they have little chance of defeating the Commander. He has numbers. He has the funds. He has the power. He has rustbuckets too.

BUT AS YOU LIKE TO REMIND YOURSELF: YOU CAN EITHER BURN OUT OR RUST.

Don't Take My Word For It...

“This game has you slotting upgrades into your mech through the COOLEST CHARACTER SHEET I have ever seen. Gimme more upgrades just so I can scribble wires and illuminate bulbs. It's heavy metal blackjack, with push-your-luck mechanics
— Alex Rinehart (Cyberrats, Gratitude)

“Like an earworm from a grunge mixtape my pilot would be playing, the rules of this game repeat on loops in my head all day long. There is a great blend of push-your-luck mechanics that perfectly represent the game's namesake, and awesome storytelling opportunities using the sort of "choose your own adventure" format.
— Spencer Campbell (NOVA, RUNE, LOOT)